Undertaker&#39;s lay-out



March 10, 1936. J J BALQGA 2,U33,8U7

UNDERTAKER S LAY-OUT Filed May 15 1954 JOHN d1 BALO A Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PArEn'r orricr:

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an undertakers layout, and has for its general object the provision, in combination with a cooling board, of means for converting it into a mortuary couch.

One of the more specific objects of the invention is to provide a collapsible hinged panel construction comprising a middle portion and ends adapted when secured to the cooling board to provide back and end foundations for suitable detachable units of upholstery.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a hinged panel attachment for cooling boards including quick detachable means for securing the panel attachment to the cooling board and a quick detachable spacer between the back panel and the cooling board for increasing the width of the mortuary couch beyond the width dimension of the cooling board.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the following specification and throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure l is a perspective view of the mortuary couch constructed according to the principles of the present invention, the upholstery not being shown;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 3, with upholstery illustrated.

Figure 3 is a plan view, parts being shown in section;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the hinged panel attachment;

Figure 5 is an end view showing the panel attachment folded into small compass for purpose of transportation; and

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing a detail of construction of the hinged panel attachment.

The mortuary couch is designed for the repose of the deceased in the home or funeral parlor, and is therefore part of the undertakers portable equipment, for convenience in transporting or setting up of the same. The parts should be as few in number as possible, of simple construction and readily attached or disassembled. The present invention utilizes the standard cooling board which is an indispensable item of the undertakers paraphernalia as the foundation of the mortuary couch.

The cooling board is represented at l in Fig. 1

and comprises a pair of hingedly connected leaves 2 and 3 ordinarily folded together for ease in transportation, but openable into a planer surface as indicated in Figure 1. One panel of the cooling board is provided with the hinged head rest 4 which may be raised to any desired height and fixed by means of a rack bar 5 cooperating with a pin or bolt on the inside of the leaf 3. The cooling board is provided with collapsible legs 6 and '5 supported in extended position by folding braces 8.

The cooling board as described is of a standard construction. It is entirely two narrow in width to admit the use of upholstery.

The present invention comprises the combination which includes the cooling board as above described and the hinged panel member 9 consisting in its preferred form of four members in series, hingedly connected comprising two end panels In and H and a back panel comprising hinged sections l2 and I3. The back sections are designed when in use to form a single rigid back for the cooling board with provisions so that it will not collapse or move out oi the planar relation of its sectionsin the manner indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3. The panels ill, ll, I2 and I3 are designed to form the foundation or support for certain upholstery units, shown in Figures 2 and 6 only.

In order to give the requisite width to the mortuary couch, the end panels I and II are wider than the cooling board and attached thereto in such a manner that they project toward the back beyond the back edge of the cooling board so that they space the sections l2 and [3 a suitable distance rearwardly of the back edge of thecooling board. This space is to make room for upholstery which is laid against the panels l2 and I3.

The end panels in and I! are attached to the ends of the cooling board by carriage bolts I4 or the like inserted from the inside of the frame of the cooling board with their threaded ends extending, said ends being adapted to pass through suitably preformed and alined apertures l formed in the end panels II] and l l. Suitable washers I6 and wing nuts l! cooperating with the ends of the bolts it which extend through the end panels Ill and H, secure the hinged panel member in operative position.

It will be observed from Figure 3 that the hinges l8 which unite the adjacent edges of the sections I2 and I 3 in the middle of the back would normally permit the inward collapse of the back panel .to the position indicated by the broken lines in Figure 3. In order to prevent this collapse and to hold the back sections l2 and I3 in rigid relation, a detachable spacer is used. This comprises a rod l9 having suitable stops or washers 2G and 2| welded or otherwise permanently fixed on the rod [9 at a distance apart representing the proper spacing of the back sections l2 and I3 from the rear edge of the cooling board. The ends of the rod l9 are threaded. One end of the rod is passed through the frame of the cooling board at a point a slight distance to one side of the hinged juncture of the back panels and suitable washers and thumb nuts screwed 0n the opposite ends of the rod I9 to hold the parts thus united in rigid relation.

The couch is made up or draped by placing an upholstery unit of suitable width upon the cooling board, and placing smaller units in association with the end panels l0 and H. The upholstery unit which covers the back sections l2 and I3 has already been referred to. An aesthetic piece of mortuary furniture is thus created.

Each of the panels Ill, H, !2 and i3 are here shown as comprising a frame 22 of substantial dimensions, the space bounded by the inner sides of which frames being covered by areas 23 of lighter material such as pressed board. 'In disassembling the mortuary couch, the upholstery units which are not shown and which form no part of the present invention are first removed. Then the wing nut I! on the back end of the spacer rod is removed. Then the thumb nuts on the ends of the carriage bolts M are taken off and the end panels detached from the cooling board. This permits the back sections l2 and I 3 to be moved rearwardly so as to free them from the rod IS. The hinged panel attachment is then folded upon itself as shown in Figure 5 into a package of comparatively small size. The spacer rod I9 is then removed entirely from the cooling board by unscrewing the inner wing nut I1, and the hardware thus removed and suitably packed as preferably in a small cloth bag, not shown. The cooling board is then folded in customary manner and the three units,

the folded hinged panel attachment, the cooling board and the hardware may be placed together to form a single easily transportable package.

It is obvious that while my invention is particularly designed in connection with a cooling board of standard size, it is equally adaptable to a cooling board or similar structure of any desired dimensions.

It is to be understood that the details of construction as shown and described are merely by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A cooling board and a hinged panel unit comprising end panels detachably secured to the ends of said cooling board and a sectional back panel hinged at its opposite ends to said end panels, the end panels being of greater Width than that of said cooling board to space the back panel from the rear edge of said cooling board.

2. A foldable cooling board and a hinged panel unit comprising end panels detachably secured to the ends of said cooling board and a sectional back panel hinged at its opposite ends to said end panels and having its sections hinged together intermediately, the end panels being of greater width than that of said cooling board to space the back panel from the rear edge of said cooling board, and means connecting said rear edge and back panel for maintaining the intermediate hinged connection of the back panel sections rigid.

3. A foldable cooling board and a hinged panel unit comprising end panels detachably secured to the ends of said cooling board, and a sectional back panel hinged at its opposite ends to said end panels and hinged together intermediately said end panels being of greater width than that of said cooling board to space the back panel from the rear edge of said cooling board, and a spacer arranged between said back panel and the back side of said cooling board for holding the back panel rigidly at the determined distance from said rear edge.

JOHN J. BALOGA. 

